The start of the new college football season is rapidly approaching, and with it comes the age-old question: who will be ‘the guy’ at each program?

Alabama’s Intriguing Quarterback Battle

In Tuscaloosa, highly-touted prospect Keelon Russell is going head-to-head with former four-star prospect Austin Mack. While Mack has the edge in experience as a redshirt junior, Russell boasts elite tools, and he was the No. 2 player in the 247Sports 2025 signing class. Russell’s added mobility would provide another valuable asset to DeBoer’s offense.

According to 247Sports, Alabama moved the ball more effectively with Russell at quarterback as he ‘led the majority of scoring drives compared to Austin Mack.’ While it doesn’t seem like Mack had a poor showing, Russell produced a few more ‘wow’ plays following a slow start from both signal callers. This is not necessarily surprising given Russell’s exceptional mobility and elusiveness, which could prove to be a deciding factor in the final decision.

However, DeBoer remains non-committal, stating that ‘as the scrimmage went on, they both got better.’ He emphasized that both Russell and Mack had their moments early where they could have executed better, and that they need to work on starting faster every single time they have game-like scrimmages and practices. DeBoer’s message to the pair is clear: ‘the challenge to them now would just be starting faster every single time we have these game-like scrimmages and practices, coming out and setting the tone themselves.’

Tennessee’s Close Quarterback Battle

In Knoxville, the battle between true freshman Faizon Brandon and redshirt freshman George MacIntyre remains close. However, it appears that the younger player, Brandon, shone on Saturday morning, ‘performing better’ and ‘being responsible for all three explosive plays’ through the air, according to 247Sports. Brandon also threw the lone touchdown pass, while MacIntyre threw the only interception, which 247Sports noted was a tremendous effort from veteran linebacker Arion Carter.

Heupel remains cautious, stating that he wants to ‘go watch the tape’ before making a decision. Heupel praised both players, saying that ‘they’ve taken really good care of the football’ and that they’ve ‘continued to grow in what we’re doing and the control and command you have to have at the quarterback position.’

Vanderbilt’s Intricate Quarterback Battle

In Nashville, the quarterback picture remains a bit murkier as true freshman Jared Curtis and redshirt junior Blaze Berlowitz seem to be opposite sides of the same coin. According to 247Sports, Berlowitz is ‘more advanced in knowing the offense’ and has ‘more of the playbook open to him.’ Meanwhile, Curtis ‘made some really nice plays today that I’m not sure Blaze makes,’ even if he doesn’t always do it cleanly and consistently.

Lea himself noted after the scrimmage that he would like to see Berlowitz be more ‘explosive’ and wants Curtis to ‘slow the game down’ more often. However, Lea declined to name a leader, saying ‘I’m not ready to do that.’

Lea praised both players, saying that they ‘operated well and made plays’ and that they ‘just took the available play, made good decisions with the ball.’ He emphasized that it’s going to be a close competition between the two, and that it’s ‘gonna be those two guys competing.’

Overall, each program’s quarterback battle is heating up as the start of the season approaches. With so much talent on display, it’s clear that each coach is facing a difficult decision when it comes to naming their starter.